Search for Answers Begins in Philippines Ferry Crash

With 87 people still missing, Philippine investigators are trying to determine how a passenger ferry carrying over 800 people collided with a cargo ship and sank near the busy port of Cebu on Friday night, killing at least 32 people.

The Philippines has a dismal record in ferry safety, but its geography means it depends heavily on sea-borne shipping to transfer people and goods between its 7,100 islands, increasing the probability of accidents.

Advertisement

Reuters

A fisherman paddles his boat near the damaged bow of the Sulpicio Express 7 cargo vessel, which collided with a ferry on Friday in Talisay, Cebu, in the central Philippines.

In its latest update Sunday morning, the Philippine Coastguard stated that 751 passengers had been rescued, with 87 still missing, with local fishermen picking up many of the survivors. But the probability of finding more survivors is now quickly diminishing after authorities suspended a search and rescue operation because of bad weather.

Many vessels plying the islands of the Philippines are overcrowded or overladen, and the volume of traffic makes it difficult for underfunded authorities to enforce safety regulations. The world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster occurred here in 1987 when a ferry packed with Christmas travelers collided with an oil tanker near Manila, killing more than 4,300 people.

Deputy Philippine Coastguard commander Rear Admiral Luis Tuason told Manila-based radio station DZMM Saturday that authorities were hopeful that some of the missing had been picked up by local fishermen. Outrigger boats and other craft converged on the area when it was lit up by distress flares, and local television reports showed survivors being brought to shore. But he stressed that the final death count would still be disturbingly high.

Questions, though, are being asked as to how the accident happened in the first place.

Vessels approaching and departing Cebu are supposed use designated channels to avoid accidents, even in the dark.

Speaking later by telephone, Rear Admiral Tuason said authorities are questioning the captain of the ferry, the MV St. Thomas Aquinas, who was among the more than 600 people rescued from the sea. The 38-strong crew of Sulpicio Express 7, the cargo ship involved in the collision, will also likely be questioned. The cargo ship didn’t sink.

“There are designated lanes in that area–one for inbound and one for outbound,” he said. “The exact location of the collision is covered by the traffic separation scheme. We have to establish if both are observing proper regulations… they have to pass through their designated lanes.”

“Now,” he said, “is the question of who violated the regulations.”

The two vessels collided at around 9pm Friday in the narrow straits leading into Cebu. The St. Thomas Aquinas began taking on water and listing heavily. The captain made the order to abandon ship, and hundreds of people threw themselves into the water, with the crew in some instances throwing life jackets after them, authorities said.

Television images filmed on Saturday morning showed the cargo vessel with a gaping hole in its bow. Jun Tugud, president of 2GO Shipping Lines, operator of the St. Thomas Aquinas, said the ferry had been hit by the Suplicio Express 7.

The operators of the cargo vessel couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Helicopters and navy divers joined the search and rescue operation at daybreak, but fear now is that many people were unable to escape the vessel and were dragged below the water when it sank, just 30 minutes after the collision.

Rear Admiral Tuason said the coast guard is requesting the Philippines’ armed forces for additional divers to help with the search, and expects them to arrive early Monday.

About Southeast Asia Real Time

Indonesia Real Time provides analysis and insight into the region, which includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Contact the editors at SEAsia@wsj.com.

Jakarta residents share their views on how Gov. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has been running Jakarta and whether they're worried about plans by city council to investigate his handling of this year's budget.